We understand how marketing may not be high on your priority list right now with everything else that is going on. However, we have created a Facebook Community to share ideas and offer support to Business Owners and Marketing professionals looking to get ahead. The group has a wealth of experts ready to help – printers, graphic designers, web designers, PR gurus & more.
We hope you can join us for:
Weekly Challenges
Round-Up of Marketing News
Ideas and tips for you to try in your business
A forum for you to ask those niggling questions
Weekly shout-outs and a chance to build your followers
Pop over and join us today – let’s support each other to see out this crisis and get our businesses back on the right foot. Click the image below:
As the UK is now in lockdown due to Coronavirus, your
businesses may have shut the doors temporarily or working from home. Now is the
perfect time to focus on your marketing. This is especially important as
everyone is stuck indoors so people will be online!
Had an idea for an article but not had the time to write it?
Had an idea for a free guide/checklist but time has been limited?
Now is the time to start! Just remember that times have changed,
and you may need to adapt your messages.
Do I need to change the overall message I send out?
Yes, when marketing, you have to change the message
you send out making sure it Is appropriate to the circumstances we are facing
and your audience. Therefore, during this period, you need to ask yourself if
it is right to send out sales posts when a) you cannot offer the service in the
same way or b) your customers are not buying at the minute.
I was reminded last week that there are 3 phases to this
pandemic – Survival, Maintaining and Emergence – whilst we are still in
survival, getting to grips with our businesses, we need to write content that
covers each of these stages. Think future, not just the here and now.
Survival – how is the business different, what can
you offer, reassurance for clients
Maintenance – your customers’ needs to know you are
still here and how you can help
Emergence – How you are changing and adapting your
business to benefits your clients
Just take a few minutes and watch the adverts – you will soon notice how the advertisers have all adapted very quickly to ensure they are not promoting goods and services like holidays & luxury items, etc that people cannot book or would be very reluctant to book.
The Tesco advert this morning was all about how they are
working with the social distancing rules and changing how we shop to keep
customers, staff and employees safe – giving peace of mind.
Think about how you could change your messages – here are
some ideas to get you started:
Your opening hours and how you are working differently.
How you can help customers, whilst they are in lockdown.
Sending positive/supportive messages – be the go-to person.
Inform and update with anything new in the news relating to your industry.
Appropriate articles & guides that your customers may need
Offers of help – free zoom calls, ask the expert, etc
Be more human – showcase pictures of your team and say Thank You to your staff!
Times are changing and they are changing fast. We cannot all
carry on marketing our businesses in the same way and expect the same results.
We are now utilising Zoom for virtual meetings and last week
we ran our first training sessions virtually. Great to see we can adapt and
busy writing a lot of helpful advice for you over the next few weeks.
Remember, everyone is using social media and searching
online very differently at the minute – ask yourself how you could capitalise
on this that will help your business succeed.
The Coronavirus or Covid 19 is the hot topic on everyone’s lips right now, supermarkets have empty shelves, schools are considering shutting, businesses are sending staff to work from home and the London Marathon has been postponed in its 40th year. Businesses, especially small, independent businesses, are really starting to feel the pinch.
As you know, we provide marketing support for all sizes of businesses and from the conversations we have been having over the past few weeks, the topic of the impact on marketing has cropped up time and again. We are commonly being asked how much marketing should be done. So here are my musings on the subject and more will be added as we go through the next few difficult weeks:
Should I stop marketing my business?
Simple answer NO!
Now is the time to ensure you keep talking to your audience to let them know if:
There are going to be any changes to your service
If there will be any increases in your lead times or deliverability issues
Changes to your opening times or if you are closing outside of your normal hours
You are going to implement contingency plans to ensure you can meet service levels
There are any available offers to help during this period
As business owners, you need to keep communication channels open and remember to keep reminding your customers you are still there so that when the coronavirus starts to wane, your customers have not forgotten you. In 2008 when the recession hit, marketing was one of the first things that most businesses stopped to cut costs. This actually had a negative effect on those that ceased their marketing activity, with those companies that maintained or enhanced their marketing been more successful.
A lot has changed since 2008 – we do not have the same level of customer loyalty there was back then, so this cannot be relied upon and taken for granted.
Social Media and Email Marketing are great for keeping you front and center of your clients. However, be realistic and do not pester and SPAM your clients to the point of no return.
I would
ask you all to take a few minutes and think about how you could communicate
with clients and what messages you need to put out.
2. Should my Marketing be different?
YES – now is a great time to review what marketing messages you are sending out and what marketing tools you are deploying to ensure they are still relevant and helpful during this difficult period.
I would certainly be advising all businesses to be
looking at each medium to see if there are challenges or, more importantly,
opportunities to be utilised. My top tools for you to consider are:
Facebook Lives – keeping people up to date with your business
Zoom / Skype / Loom / Facetime meetings
Webinars and Online Training instead of face-to-face
Video – if you don’t use it already then now is the time to start
EBooks and workbooks – what you get across in a meeting, could that be delivered in an eBook?
If we all sit back and wait for this to pass and take no action, then this is when businesses will really suffer. Those that have adapted and adopted will gain and most likely benefit more.
3. Should I cut back on my marketing spend?
I totally understand that the financial impact of
the Coronavirus is only just starting to bite and could impact for many months
ahead yet, so the question of budgets is really important. It is vital that you
take the time to review what you are spending your money on. For some
businesses right now, it would be advantageous to increase spend – IT
companies, VA’s, Food delivery companies etc. as people are needing these
services more and more.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach, each business needs to assess what has been working and what budget will you have going forward. This is where your stats will be really vital to show you what is working and what could be reduced. Look at your stats from the last three and one month periods and take these as a benchmark, to measure against during this next period of time.
Take a
few minutes today to assess what activities are essential, nice-to-have or can
be postponed.
There is an argument for ensuring that your websites and e-commerce shops are updated daily because if people are at home and not able to venture out as much. The internet and social media will be where they are hanging out.
4. Will
anyone see my marketing messages in and amongst all the noise right now?
This goes back to knowing your audience and understanding what their pain points might be and ensuring you are appearing at the right time and place. Again, your stats either through Google Analytics of Social Media stats will show you the best times and opportunities for you.
I will be honest, if you do what you have always done then it might be more difficult for you – start to think about how you could stand out from the crowd in the right way, today.
5. Are
there any opportunities to be had right now?
YES – without a doubt YES. Believe it or not but there is a wealth of opportunity right now:
On-demand webinars
Facebook / Instagram Lives
EBooks & Guides
Membership platforms and building your community
Online shops
We could all sit at our desks and think about the what-ifs,
but those businesses that will make this work are ready to adapt and plan for
new ways of working.
Think about the time before every business had a website –
now you could not really run a successful business without one!
Top Tip – Make a list of all the ways your business could innovate its marketing approach?
Whilst we wait for the news to tell us all the latest development concerning the Coronavirus, you need to make sure your business is on the right path. We are helping our customers to see that we are planning and preparing to ensure there are no changes to the products and services they offer.
As we go through the next few weeks, I will add any further questions we are asked to this blog to try and give you our thoughts and ideas that you could implement. If you have a question that you would like us to answer, then please get in touch – 0115 8 376 260
If you need any help and support during this difficult period, then please get in touch – 0115 8 376 260
Creationz Marketing has announced a strategic partnership with Nottingham Trent University as part of its mission to help develop the marketing talent of the future.
Claire explains;
‘I formed Creationz Marketing in 2013 with the ethos of providing realistic, affordable marketing consultancy and social media facilitation to businesses who may not have their own marketing team in place.
‘As the business and our client base has grown, so too has our range of services and I wanted to be able to add fresh ideas and energy into the team and into our clients’ campaigns. I had looked at various apprenticeship schemes but felt the real value would be in creating a year-long internship for talented undergraduates seeking real-world marketing experience and approached Ben Topping at Nottingham Trent University to discuss this.
‘Ben and his team have been brilliant in working with us to create a very fulfilling experience for the students, which began when Jasmin Saimbi joined us as a Marketing Assistant in late 2019. Jasmin has been fantastic to work with and her input into client campaigns and indeed into the placement that we have created has been invaluable. I would urge more small businesses to think about how they can work more closely with our universities and colleges as everyone can benefit from this.’
Benjamin Topping, business advisor in the Employability team at Nottingham Trent University said;
‘Our aim is to develop our networks within the business community and we’re known for the employability of our graduates. That reputation is built on a strong track record of meeting the needs of employers – through the quality of our students and the quality of our services.
‘The focus is on real-world thinking, bringing together the latest cutting-edge research and best practice from the world of business and it has been great to work with Claire on putting together a framework for this for our marketing undergraduates. Jasmin has blazed a trail for her peers and we look forward to working with Creationz Marketing on developing this exciting business relationship.’
Jasmin said;
‘During my second year at NTU, I felt it would benefit my career to take a year in industry as I honestly didn’t know which routes I wanted to go down or specialise in. My Business Management & Marketing degree was a three-year course but I felt I needed to find out what I enjoyed doing. Whether marketing, business management or something else.
‘I wanted to look for something where I could learn and develop my skills further, especially in digital marketing. No two days are the same and working for a smaller company has allowed me to get more involved with clients, decision making processes and networking, which has helped to build my confidence loads.’
Applications are now open for Creationz Marketing’s next internship, starting in September 2020.
We are big fans of Google My Business (GMB) as it is a really powerful tool to improve local search engine optimization. It still surprises me the number of businesses not using it – and if they are, they are not using it correctly. Be honest, how are you using it?
Get your business on the local map today by setting up and reviewing your profile. Simply visit Google My Business today.
I have been working on a number of Google My Business Accounts this week and really helping clients to see the benefits that this platform has to offer. Once we can explain the benefits and show the advantages, we can often see the penny drop. If I told you that you could improve your website visibility at No cost and all that is required is a minimum of 10 minutes per week – would you do it? With a little time investment and regular updates the benefits speak for themselves:
Benefits of Google My Business:
It’s free to use – little time required to update it properly
Easy to use – no technical knowledge needed
Increases visibility of your website
Gets you noticed on the local map
Increases traffic & phone calls
Ability to share posts, giving clear direction for all the services you offer
Promote events and offers clearly on the front page of Google
If you are looking to get ahead with local marketing then it is worth spending time on Google My Business. It is also worth pointing out that the old premise of “little and often” is a mantra we try and pass on to clients as the results are stronger and longer lasting than a one-hit-wonder.
Our Top Google My Business Tips:
1: Claim and Set up Your Profile 2: Add Posts Regularly 3: View Your Insights – Know Your Numbers 4: Set up Messages on your phone 5: Make it a part of your weekly Marketing activity plan
Google My Business Masterclass
When: 18th February 2021 Time: 9.30am -12.30am Where: Virtual – Join us from the comfort of your home / office
Still not sure if Google My Business is for you? Join us for our next 1/2 day course on the 18th February where we go into a lot of detail and show you the benefits
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